Paralegal enters the race in Monck/Muskoka North

FARR

BRACEBRIDGE - The ballot in Monck/Muskoka North Ward is quickly becoming a crowded place.

Local paralegal and freelance title searcher John Farr recently became the fourth candidate to file for the ward, after longtime incumbent Coun. Edith Nichols announced last month that she will not seek re-election.

Farr, a husband and father of three grown children, primarily deals with small claims court, landlord-tenant matters and traffic court. The former lawyer, who lost a bid for Bracebridge council in 2006, said his legal background could be a great asset to the town.

“I want to give back to the town, which I’ve made a good living from for 22 years,” said Farr. “I’ve lived in Monck Ward for 10 years now and there are some concerns I’ve heard from the residents that are worth being addressed. I think with my experience and knowledge of legal matters I can be a help to town council.”

Encouraging more housing development in the local area will be a key initiative for Farr, if elected. Fees charged to developers are restrictive, he said, and the town needs to focus on allowing new projects to get started.

“I’d like to make it easier for contractors, so they don’t have to go through so many hoops with the town,” said Farr. “Bracebridge is becoming a destination for retirement, whether that be a single-family home, townhouses or condos.”

Farr said industrial development may have been an economic pillar for Bracebridge in the past, but that simply isn’t the case any more and council needs to redirect its attention elsewhere.

“There’s no sense in saying we’re going to try to get factories to come back here because it’s just not going to happen,” he said. “When the young people go on to university, very few come back as professionals. We’ve got to build on our strengths, which is tourism and as a retirement community.”

Farr’s 2006 election campaign hit a major stumbling block after it was revealed in the Examiner that in 1982, when Farr was an Orillia-based lawyer, he had misappropriated funds and served a year and a half in jail. Farr was also disbarred at the time, but he said those incidents occurred a long time ago and have no relevance on his current election bid.

Farr addressed the incident via a written statement.

“This newspaper suggest­ed that I should remind people that I was disbarred as a lawyer 20 years ago in Orillia. I agreed, as I am that eager to serve the citizens of Bracebridge.”